Testing inconclusive, suspected bobcat returned

ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 18, 2014 12:01 AM

Bobcat owner Ginny Fine speaks with media after a judge allowed her to go home with her bobcat, Rocky, Friday, May 16, 2014 at Stafford Township Municipal Court, Stafford Township, NJ. The animal was removed from her home after it ran away twice and returned. (AP Photo/The Press of Atlantic City, Edward Lea)The Press of Atlantic City

ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 18, 2014 12:01 AM

STAFFORD, N.J. -- Rocky's mother was 98 percent bobcat.

But because a DNA test couldn't determine the 38-pound feline's father's lineage, a judge ruled Friday that the runaway cat be returned to a New Jersey woman.

Municipal Court Judge Damian Murray ruled that Ginny Fine can regain custody of Rocky after a mitochondrial DNA test found that the cat's mother was 98 percent bobcat, but couldn't determine its father's lineage, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Mitochondrial DNA is inherited solely from the mother.

"The bottom line is, Rocky goes home," Murray said.

Fine, who has maintained that Rocky is a hybrid bobcat and Maine coon, said she was shocked by the ruling.

"I don't even know what to say. I was not expecting that," she said outside of court.

She would have needed a special permit to get Rocky back if it was determined to be a purebred bobcat. The permit is only issued for zoos, animal exhibitors, for scientific purposes or for agencies that own animals for advertising or acting.